The Paper Ep 3: Buddy and the Dude

Summary

Office Ladies – "The Paper" Ep 3: Buddy and the Dude

Hosts: Jenna Fischer & Angela Kinsey
Date: January 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jenna and Angela break down episode three of "The Paper," titled "Buddy and the Dude." They offer behind-the-scenes insights, share exclusive stories from guest stars, and draw fun connections to their time on The Office. The episode centers on Ned's quest to teach the staff the importance of fact-checking, Mare's undercover mattress investigation, and Esmeralda's ongoing attempts to sabotage Ned.

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New Year's Resolutions and Single Tasking

[03:00–04:30]

• Angela shares a resolution to "get off the hamster wheel" by purging her closet and spending more focused time with family.
• Jenna has adopted "single tasking" over multitasking, explaining she's "happier, more present, and more efficient" when separating work from home tasks.
• Discussion on device boundaries with teens; Angela institutes a policy of stopping mid-conversation if someone looks at their phone.

Quotable:

"I've stopped doing that. I have work hours, and I have home hours...I'm happier, more present, and more efficient in those spaces."
— Jenna [04:06]

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Listener Chit Chat: The Thermostat Wars

[06:05–09:36]

• Steve from Pittsburgh asks about preferred thermostat settings.
• Angela reveals she prefers 70°F at night, mostly due to hot flashes.
• Jenna likes it colder (64°F), always sleeps with the window open, and piles on blankets.
• Both compare this to the on-set "thermostat war" with Steve Carell on The Office.

Quotable:

"I tell the kids, guys, pile on the blankets. I sleep with the window open no matter where I am."
— Jenna [08:44]

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Behind the Scenes: Guest Star Crossover

[13:37–16:11]

• Mary Hollis Imboden guest stars as Cindy, the mattress store employee. Angela met her on "The Real O’Neals."
• Mary originally auditioned for a series regular role on "The Paper" under deep secrecy, using decoy pages.
• Casting directors, appreciating her audition, brought her back for this guest part—no new audition needed. Mary praises the inclusive, family-like atmosphere on set.

Quotable:

"Shout out to good casting directors who keep track and remember all the people who might fit into the world of the show."
— Jenna, quoting Mary [16:05]

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Episode Summary & Key Plot Points

[13:12–58:58]

Main Storylines

• Ned’s Fact vs. Fiction Workshop:
  Ned introduces "Two Truths and a Lie" to improve fact-checking among staff. Adam provides dubious stories—his main source: people themselves.
• Mare’s Mattress Store Investigation:
  Mare pitches an undercover investigation into mattress pricing scams—a plot based on real-life shenanigans encountered by show creator Greg Daniels.
• Esmeralda’s Sabotage:
  Esmeralda tries to undermine Ned by revealing Mare’s possible hotel job switch and stir up jealousy.

Fun Details & Easter Eggs

• On the Dry Erase Board:
  Story headings like "Mud Hens game" (Toledo Mud Hens explained—minor league baseball, mascot trivia).
• Kevin-Like Character:
  Adam's shorthand speech pattern—calling Ned "Ed"—reminds Angela of Kevin’s iconic style: "Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?" [19:08]
• Documentary Style:
  Director Yana Gorskaya brings new camera techniques—spy shots and dynamic talking heads.

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Notable Segment: Two Truths and a Lie with Creed Bratton

[24:12–32:13]

Creed contributes three audio stories—two are true, one is a lie:

1. Acquiring an ultra-rare guitar via a drug dealer.
2. Being saved from explosives on a set in Israel by Frank Sinatra.
3. Plane crash involving alligators, military guns, and a restricted base.

Angela guesses the correct lie (the guitar), Jenna suspects the plane crash. Creed’s gift for outlandish-but-plausible stories shines.

Quotable:

"Do you all realize now what it's like to hang out with Creed?"
— Jenna [31:12]

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Esmeralda: The Queen of Shade

[33:02–34:08]

• Delivers classic lines, e.g., calling Mare "a pile of shirts."
• Costume note: Esmeralda wears a snake belt as a visual clue to her ‘saboteur’ role.

"Ah, I thought you were a pile of shirts."
— Esmeralda [33:15]

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"Gas Station Sushi" & Bird Banter

[41:35–43:51]

• Angela and Jenna discuss the perils of gas station sushi, reading Reddit opinions for laughs.
• Discovery: Nicole’s desk is filled with bird tchotchkes—making her "the bird lady," much like Angela’s cat-lady persona on The Office.

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Subtle Connections: The Office Props

[44:36–45:24]

• At Oscar's desk, viewers spot the Michael Scott homemade scarecrow and a photo of Oscar's real dog, Gus—direct from his Dunder Mifflin set days.

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Undercover at the Mattress Store

[45:56–52:45]

• Ned & Mare humorously debate what kind of "couple" to pose as: siblings, married, or just a "couple with a mom who has bladder issues."
• They uncover the mattress scam by analyzing supplier info and get a full confession from Cindy, who says:

"Oh, I hate this stupid polo. They make you pay for yourself. I was too scared to be a geologist and now it’s too late...Let’s burn it all down!"
— Cindy [62:27]

• Mary Hollis Imboden describes her first experience on a documentary-style show and the warmth of the crew.

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Would You Rather: Speak to Animals or Any Language?

[54:09–57:49]

• The staff plays "Would You Rather": Talk to animals or speak any human language.
• Angela and Jenna dissect it seriously, ultimately realizing the "animals" option could be overwhelming and opt for "speaking any language."
• Emotional twist: Jenna suggests speaking to pets before they pass would be a special gift.

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Key Resolutions & Character Arcs

[59:00–End]

• Oscar uncovers a budget scam—Ken is living rent-free under a "storage unit."
• Nicole reveals her complicated past to Detrick, who kindly gives her an out to avoid workplace embarrassment.
• Mare decides to stay at the paper, declining the hotel job; her bond with Ned ("Buddy and the Dude") is solidified.
• Esmeralda is momentarily defeated in her sabotage efforts.
• Oscar hints at growing support for Ned and belief in real journalism.

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Memorable Quotes

• "That’s delusional. Right? And a little nerve wracking because he holds my career in his hands. But then she wavers. She's like, but he did sell a crazy amount of toilet paper."
  — Mare [35:45]
• "She also has really long fingernails. Like, she's very expressive with her hands."
  — Angela, on Esmeralda [32:13]
• "Let's burn it all down."
  — Cindy (Mary Hollis Imboden) [62:41]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |----------------------------------------|-----------------| | Resolutions & Multitasking | 03:00–04:30 | | Thermostat Chit Chat | 06:05–09:36 | | Guest Star Backstory | 13:37–16:11 | | "Two Truths and a Lie" – Creed | 24:12–32:13 | | Mattress Investigation | 45:56–52:45 | | Would You Rather (Languages/Animals) | 54:09–57:49 | | Esmeralda’s Shade & Sabotage | 33:02–34:08 | | Boardroom/Budget Meeting | 52:45–65:14 | | End-of-Episode Resolutions | 66:27–67:38 |

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Final Thoughts

• Jenna and Angela highlight the clever writing, dynamic direction, and subtle character growth of "The Paper."
• The episode features interwoven humor, nostalgia, and new connections—plus another dose of that beloved Office meta-commentary.
• Both hosts encourage fans to submit more questions and observations via their website.

Closing Note:
"Marin and Ned finished their first article, and it’s a big win. I was very excited for them."
— Jenna [67:21]

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Shout Outs

• Special thanks to Greg Daniels, Creed Bratton, Chelsea Fry, Patrick Kang, and Mary Hollis Imboden for exclusive stories and insights.
• Fans are encouraged to keep sending questions and comments for upcoming episodes.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[A]

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[A]

Oh, we're supposed to be focusing on fiber. I know, fiber's a thing now. I think 2026 is gonna be the year of fiber. I feel like protein took over in 2025. I think it's fiber shape.

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Yeah. So what is it? It's like you take the scoop of this stuff and you put it in a glass of water.

[B]

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And then you drink it.

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He does it first thing in the morning and then he feels like he's done something good for his health and he started his day that way.

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Well, I'm looking at this piece of paper and it says it's got lots of flavors. It has original citrus berry and tropical.

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And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[A]

We were on the Office Together. And we're best friends now. We're doing the ultimate Office Lovers podcast just for you.

[B]

Each week, we will dive deeper into the world of the office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details, and lots of BFF stories.

[A]

We're the Office Lady 6.0.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Hi.

[B]

How are you, lady?

[A]

I'm good.

[B]

Me too.

[A]

I need an update from us.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

I want to check in on our New Year's resolution to get off the hamster wheel. How's it going?

[B]

Well, pretty good. I hamstered a little bit on Saturday.

[A]

I know you did.

[B]

And then I put it away. I put work away. And then I have started purging my closet. This is what I did with this extra time.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I'm so happy about it. And also, like, I went through. And there's some stuff in my closet that I'm like, doesn't really fit me anymore, but I still like this stuff. And I put together, like, a little pile, and Isabel got to go through it all, and she was so excited. It was like shopping in mom's closet.

[A]

Oh, I'm sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because you guys are the same size almost. But her feet are bigger than yours, right?

[B]

Her feet are. She's tinier than I am. But, like, overall. But her feet are bigger, which makes her crazy because she's like, oh, you have so many great shoes.

[A]

Well, I have added on to getting off the hamster wheel. I have added on doing one thing at a time, which I found has been really good for me. I think I used to pride myself on being an expert multitasker, and I want to become an expert single tasker.

[B]

I like that.

[A]

Single tasking.

[B]

You know what? Multitasking's overrated.

[A]

I think so. And I think, again, especially as a person who works from home, I don't want to put in a load of laundry while also answering an email. So I've stopped doing that. I have work hours, and I have home hours, and. And I'm actually finding that I'm happier, more present, and more efficient in those spaces when I divide them up rather than try to, like, make them work together.

[B]

I like this. I started doing this thing. Tell me if you think it's passive aggressive.

[A]

I'm excited. I'm sitting up.

[B]

Okay. So whenever someone's on a device in my house, like, we start a conversation, and then maybe they check an email or look at a text, I stop talking. Oh, just mid sentence.

[A]

I love this.

[B]

I stop talking. And then inevitably, they realize, and they look up and I go, hey there. Let me know when you're ready.

[A]

Oh, lady, I'm living for this.

[B]

Here's the thing. I'm trying to have a conversation. I don't want to have a conversation with the top of your head while you're looking at a device and I have a house full of teenagers. We're learning our boundaries with devices. Right? Social cues and whatnot.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I think this is a good life skill to take out with you, that when someone's talking to you, you focus on them. And then if you have an email or something you need to check, then you go do it.

[A]

I like this. I think this is smart. I think this is good parenting. Maybe it's passive aggressive if you want to give it that label. But it's also proactive life lessening. Okay, how about that spin on it? There's our self help book, Proactive Life Lessening by Jenna and Angel. All right, everyone, welcome to this week's Office Lady 6.0. Today we are going to be breaking down the third episode of season one's the Paper, titled the Buddy and the Dude.

[B]

Yeah. But before we dive into that, we are going to kick things off with a chit chat sent in from Steve T. From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

[C]

Hi, ladies. This is Steve from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I'm curious what your preferred thermostat setting is both in. In the summer and winter, my fiance and I both like to keep the house pretty cold. So any warmer than 68 degrees and we feel like we're roasting.

[A]

That is not the question I was.

[B]

Expecting, but okay, what were you expecting?

[A]

I don't know. I wasn't expecting a thermostat question, but I sort of love it. It's very timely for me. Steve, I don't know how you knew this.

[B]

Well, I loved this question because this has been a theme in my life. The thermostat war. Yeah. I mean, especially on the set of the Office, we had Steve Carell who ran hot. And so on the days he was there, the air was like, cranked down and then we were all freezing and we would have little heaters under our desk. But I guess I should also talk about what it's like at home.

[A]

Well, he's asking our preferred setting.

[B]

Yeah. What is yours, Lainey?

[A]

Well, my preferred setting is 70 degrees air conditioning at night. Really all I care about right now, Steve, is what is the temperature at night when I'm trying to sleep through my hot flashes?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But right now in la, it's getting very cold at night. And so the problem is when I'm going To sleep, I need the air conditioner on. But then the house might get all the way down to, like, 66 degrees overnight if the heat isn't on. Yeah, I'm really in a pickle. I'm fighting with it. I'll get up in the middle of the night. I'm worried. The kids are cold. So then I turn the heat on, and then I'm sweating. This is a long story to say. My preferred setting is 70 degrees at night at any time. 70 seems to be my sweet spot. But I live in a very old house, and different rooms run hot and other rooms run cold. And it's very hard to keep everybody happy. So we have a few space heaters. My son sleeps with his window open a little bit. Cause his room runs hot. It's a whole thing.

[B]

I'm gonna throw you a curve ball.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

Your face is so funny.

[A]

Why?

[B]

Like, what is it? I turn off the heat at night.

[A]

I know. Me too. That's what I'm saying.

[B]

No, no, but, like, I let it get down. Like, it doesn't kick on ever. And I sleep with the window open and it gets cold. Like, you wake up and the house is cold. But I like to sleep in a cold room. I'm with you, Steve. I'm like. I tell the kids, guys, pile on the blankets.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And I sleep with the window open no matter where I am. So, like, we go to see Josh's family in Colorado in the winter, I open that window.

[A]

You know, that's really healthy. I was reading about it.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

We're supposed to be getting more fresh air into our homes than we're getting. Oh, like you're supposed to remember in ye olden times when there was no, like, you know, H VAC systems, you had your windows open a lot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's really good to get that fresh air.

[B]

I'm that person. I have windows open all over the house.

[A]

Smart.

[B]

I like it around 64 degrees at night.

[A]

64?

[B]

Yes. Yes. That's what the thermostat said this morning when I woke up. It said it was 64 degrees in the house. And I just. Oh, man. I just layer these heavy blankets, and I'm so snug. But it is hard for me to get out of bed in the morning because I'm so snug. There you go. 70 and 64.

[A]

Yeah, those are our numbers.

[B]

Thanks, Steve. Loved your question.

[A]

Well, listen, why don't we take a break? Cause when we come back, we've really got a lot of fun stuff. To share about this episode.

[B]

Yes. We reached out to Greg Daniels.

[A]

Yes. And I traded some texts with writer Patrick Kang and also Chelsea Fry.

[B]

And we have a little something something from Creed Bratton.

[A]

I'm really excited about that one. I know.

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[A]

Okay, we are back. Let's discuss today's the Paper episode. It is season one, episode three, titled the Buddy and the Dude. It is written by Patrick Kang and Michael Levin. Guess what show Patrick worked on before, like back in the day. You're not gonna guess? I'm gonna tell you how I met your mother.

[B]

I might have guessed.

[A]

I didn't give you time to guess.

[B]

I was thinking, like, oh, it's gotta be something we're connected to. That's where my brain was going. Okay.

[A]

Isn't that crazy?

[B]

Yeah. Small world.

[A]

I know. And this episode was directed by Yana Gorskaya. Are you ready for a summary?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

All right, here it is. In this episode, Ned scrambles to teach his staff about the importance of fact checking sources. Mayor pitches an undercover investigation into a shady mattress pricing scam. Meanwhile, Esmeralda continues her attempts to sabotage Ned, including revealing the fact that Mair might have a plan to leave the paper for a job in hospitality.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

All right, My single fast fact is a fun guest star crossover. Mary Hollis Imboden plays Cindy, the mattress store employee. She's got a really great big guest star on this episode. You all might know her from her many roles on shows like HBO's the Righteous Gemstones or AMC's Kevin Can F Himself or maybe ABC's the Real Oneals or. Which is where Angela, the two of you met.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

You had a two episode guest arc on that show. And I remember you telling me how much fun you had and how nice Mary was to you on the set.

[B]

She's great and I just enjoy her every time I'm around her. We've reconnected a few times throughout the years. She's just wonderful. And I reached out to her for this episode.

[A]

You did? You asked her about her time on the paper. She sent us some great behind the scenes details. We're gonna sprinkle those in as we break down this episode. But the first question you asked, of course, was, how did you get your job on the paper? And it turns out she first auditioned for a series regular role on the show when they were casting the pilots.

[B]

I know. How about that?

[A]

She said she spent, quote, most of February 2024 auditioning under a cloak of secrecy. A month of auditioning for a series.

[B]

Regular role on the show that she knew nothing about.

[A]

She said it, quote, could not be named.

[B]

How crazy is that?

[A]

All she knew was that Greg had Created a show. She was pretty sure it was the paper, but she said it was hard to manage all the emotions around an opportunity that exciting. She also said the material was clearly decoy pages, which made it obvious that they were really just searching for the right ensemble chemistry.

[B]

I thought that was so smart of her to, like, realize that if I got decoy pages, I was trying to think about it, would I really understand, like, are they trying to get a sense of my timing, my comedy? But I think it's about personalities, like, how these people are gonna mesh together.

[A]

Yeah. And I remember Chelsea telling us something similar when we interviewed her.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, ultimately, they went in a different direction for the series regular role, But Mary said in a truly generous twist, they invited her to join this episode as Cindy. No additional audition required.

[B]

Oh, that's so nice.

[A]

She also said, shout out to good casting directors who keep track and remember all the people who might fit into the world of the show.

[B]

Well, I just love that. And we have some more fun tidbits from Mary as we break down this episode. But how about we get started?

[A]

Let's do it.

[B]

The episode starts with Ned. He's in his office and he's working off a dry erase board, coming up with story ideas. Did you zoom in on the dry erase board?

[A]

No. Did you?

[B]

Yes, I did. Oh, okay. So here are the story ideas they're working on. First of all, on the dry erase board, there's all these squares, kind of like a layout, you know, and in the squares, here's what they feel. Good story photo. Water department update. Downtown construction. Senior center Shoplift story. Mud hens game.

[A]

Mud hens.

[B]

Exactly. Lady, what is a mud hen?

[A]

Well, mud hen, like a hen that, like, lays an egg. Mud hen.

[B]

M U D H E N Mud Hens game. Well, you know, I had to Google it.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

Turns out the Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team. Oh, yeah. Their Triple A affiliate is the Detroit Tigers, but they are located in Toledo, Ohio, and they play their home games at fifth, third field. Oh, but again, what is a mud hen? You might say.

[A]

Are you going to tell me?

[B]

I am. According to the Internet, here is how they got their mascot name. A mud hen is a marsh bird with short wings and long legs, and it inhabits swamps or marshes. I guess the Toledo Mud Hens earned their name in 1896.

[A]

That's going back.

[B]

That's going back. I guess that's the year the team played at Bayview park, and it was surrounded by marshlands and these birds hung out There. Oh, there you go. And the article goes on to say the abundance of mud hens near the park brought about the nickname. And the rest, as they say, is history.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Toledo Mud Hens. So someone's going to report on that game.

[A]

It's making me Wonder how the St. Louis Cardinals got their name. Were they playing and a bunch of Cardinals flew by? How'd that happen?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

I mean, I really want to now check out a Toledo Mud Hens game. I'm invested.

[A]

You are? Yes. You're going to follow their season now?

[B]

I might have to go find them online.

[A]

Does the board say anything about the status of all of these articles by any chance?

[B]

No, no status updates.

[A]

Okay, well, mayor is gonna walk in and they've got this, like, really cute shorthand now. Yeah, they're going over a story about the inspection budget. You know, who they should follow up with? And they both say, Angie. Yeah, yeah, they've got someone on the inside. It's so cute. They've got a nice groove. Adam enters and instead of calling Ned Ned, he calls him Ed. Ned corrects him and he's like, no, no, I'm calling you Ed. It's short for Editor in Chief. I wanted to save some time. I'm sorry. Hold on. Yeah, flag on the play. Who does this remind you of?

[B]

I mean, Kevin.

[A]

Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?

[B]

I know. I thought the same thing.

[A]

I mean, is there a world where one day Kevin shows up as Adam's cousin? Like, are they related, these two people?

[B]

I think. I think a big yes.

[A]

And they just don't say very many words. They leave words out of their sentences and that's their bit.

[B]

And they have weird number combinations.

[A]

Maybe so.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Well, Adam has come into Ned's office to turn in his article about a man who stuffed a Dyson down his pants at Target as a joke. His source is the man himself.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Ned asks Adam to consider that maybe his source is lying to him. Adam's like, I don't think so.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

And then Ned is like, you know what? I'm gonna make this the lead story of the Also News.

[B]

And this is where we find out that articles that aren't sourced well, or maybe they're just not good. They end up in the Also news because Ned doesn't want to hurt people's feelings.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Adam, as it turns out, is the star reporter of the also News.

[A]

Yeah, the also News is just printed on the copy machine. And distributed it internally.

[B]

And we all know who else would be in the also news.

[A]

Kevin.

[B]

Kevin. Mm.

[A]

Well, now Ned is gonna call the whole team into the conference room. He wants to coach everyone on separating fact from fiction. This is obviously for Adam mostly, but maybe for everyone.

[B]

I think for everyone.

[A]

He proposes that they play the game two truths and a lie, so that they can help learn discernment.

[B]

Right. He puts Travis and Adalola head to head. They're gonna go first. They have to say two truths and a lie, and you have to figure out which one is the lie. I want to point out at 1 minute, 38 seconds that Barry is opening up a flask that he's now gonna drink.

[A]

Yes, I saw that.

[B]

I love that he smokes and drinks whenever there's a conference room. Here are the two truths and a lie that Adalola says. Ready? Yes. I buy a new toothbrush every week. I can't feel pain on the bottoms of my feet. And I once misdialed a phone number and accidentally called Martin Lawrence.

[A]

Yes. Travis says, I think your story of accidentally calling Martin Lawrence is the lie, because you would never sit on an anecdote that strong, and I've never heard that before.

[B]

Yeah, he calls BS on that.

[A]

Mm.

[B]

Well, guess what, you guys. Adalolo whips out her phone and calls someone, and you hear this.

[A]

Okay. Who doesn't have any good stories? Oh, my goodness.

[D]

You reached Martin Lawrence.

[B]

When you hear that beat, you know what to do. What? Yeah, yeah, Martin Lawrence. So I thought, oh, my God, how do they get Martin Lawrence for this? This is amazing. What a get. Right.

[A]

Well, that's what you said. And then I said, I don't think it's Martin Lawrence.

[B]

And I said, well, I'm gonna call Greg and find out. Greg said, it's actually an impression by comedian Jay Farrow.

[A]

Oh, I Love Jay. From SNL.

[B]

Yes. He's so great. He was on SNL from 2010 to 2016. He does a ton of amazing impressions. I actually went down the rabbit hole and. And watched him on an interview. Nine minutes of impressions.

[A]

Yes, I saw that, because the guy's just, like, throwing names at him, and he just can do it.

[B]

It's amazing.

[A]

See, that fascinates me because I can get honing an impression and then doing it, but, like, switching between accents or switching between impressions one right after another. Like, how do you do that?

[B]

It's amazing. And he does. He did this whole bit where it was like Martin Lawrence and Will Smith going back and forth, but he does both of Them.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

And their cadence is so different. Yeah, he does so many amazing impressions. Anyway, shout out to Jay Farrow. You totally had me fooled. And then we go on to find out that Adalola did one time call him by accident, and he thought she was his niece, and they had this really nice heart to heart about her spending habits. But now whenever she calls him, it just goes to voicemail.

[A]

Have you ever played Two truths and a Lie, Angel?

[B]

No, I haven't.

[A]

I haven't either.

[B]

I don't think I'd be good at it.

[A]

No, you wouldn't be good at giving the things or you wouldn't be good at guessing?

[B]

I think I wouldn't be good at giving the things because I think I probably would have a tell.

[A]

Like, oh, yeah?

[B]

Yeah. My tennis gals, they said they can always tell when I'm going to go down the line. Like, go down in the alley. They said I get this kind of, like, expression.

[A]

So maybe you would have tells.

[B]

I think so. I mean, I think I'm better at lying over the phone than in person, if history has taught me anything.

[A]

Sure, because then we can't see your face.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Well, we find out that Adalola is pretty good at two truths and one lie. And, you know, we were talking about this, and I thought, I want to play this, but I want to play it with Creed Bratton.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

He's the master of saying all kinds of crazy that we think isn't true, but then it is true, and then we don't know what's not true. And I called him up and he said, I'll do it. Let's go, gals. He sent us in, you guys, three audio clips where he does two truths and a lie. We don't know what they are. We haven't listened to them. And then he sent us in an additional one where he reveals which one is the lie. But before we play them, I have to tell you, Jenna, right before he sent us these clips that we have not listened to, he called me, okay? And he said, hey, pumpkin. He was like, I'm gonna need some room here. And I was like, huh? And he goes to kind of get into it. You know, I want you guys to believe it. So, like, is this a one sentence, a two sentence, or do I have some room?

[A]

Well, lady, this is what you need. You need room when you're telling a lie. I learned this from when I was a struggling actor, and I would have to fib my way out of, like, work to go to auditions, and you have to spin a yarn.

[B]

Yeah, I think that's where the phrase comes from. Right? You really have to tell a tale. So I said, creed, babe, you. Do you, like, give it to us the way you want to do it? So we have not heard these, but. Okay, everyone listening, we are all now going to play Two Truths and a Lie with Creed Bratton. Listen with us, and let's see if we can all guess.

[D]

Back in the early 80s, I was involved in this drug dealer, and I ended up owning a 1958 Gibson Carina Explorer, one of the rarest guitars on the planet. I think there was only 20 of them made. This is like, one of the earlier even. Even of that. Only 21 of the earlier serial numbers on that. And later on, I. I had to sell it for some reason. And I mean. I mean, God, it's things probably worth 800,000 to a million dollars today, something like that. It was a loss.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Okay. I mean, I'm already just. I'm so. I'm. I'm in.

[A]

I'm waiting.

[B]

I know. Here we go. Number two.

[D]

In 1965, I was doing a movie in Israel, and I came on the set and was leaning against this wall, and unbeknownst to me, there were live squibs, explosives in the wall. And this gentleman walks over to me, and he says, hey, kid, you're gonna blow your arm off or kill yourself? And he just kind of led me away from the thing. And that man was Frank Sinatra. He probably saved me, losing my arm or my life. Thank you, Frank.

[B]

Ooh.

[A]

Now, that's a tricky one, because he told us in his All About Creed episode that he did that movie and that Frank Sinatra was in it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So is he using a little bit of the truth? That's very good strategy.

[B]

I know. Oh, my gosh. This one's titled Plane Crash.

[D]

It was either 67 or 1968. And I'm flying in a little Piper Cub over the Florida Panhandle. And with the. With the grassroots, and we're getting ready to. To land at this for this show. And we hear the guy saying over the radio, said, all right, the landing area there, blah, blah. I got a red light and a green light, and I look down and I see a blue, blue, and a yellow light. So I started explaining to the guy, I said, hey, you know, those aren't the color. The right colored lights. And he turns around and goes, look, you play guitar, and I'll fly the airplane. So then. And I felt really bad. I had a bad feeling about this, you know, this landing. So we land on the Runway, and there's debris all over. And it blows out the tire on the right. And we end up in a canal with one wing down into the water. Everyone's, you know, I'm calm, I'm cool, because I'm creed. I'm not. I'm chilling. Next thing I know, over the hill, I see this light from a, you know, truck or something backlighting this. Military guys with machine guns and dogs, these big, big Alsatians. And they got the guns on us. Get out. Get out of the planes. We get started to crawl off the wing into the water and look down in the water, and there's alligators. There's alligators in the water. And so now we're going to get attacked by the alligators or eaten by the dogs or shot by the soldiers. So they grabbed me and put handcuffs on me and took me off to the brig as I was on a restricted military base. Yeah, that's the story.

[B]

Holy crap. So we have to pick. Two of these are the truth and one is the lie.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, so we have guitar from drug deal, Right. Frank Sinatra saving his life or landing.

[A]

Plane crash.

[B]

Plane crash. Landing in an air force base.

[A]

Yeah. A restricted air force base.

[B]

Air area. Yeah.

[A]

I think the lie is plane crash, but I think it's only half of a lie. This is my instinct. I think this thing with the lights did happen, and then I think the rest of it is a lie.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I don't think there were alligators in the water, and I don't think that military people with guns took him away in handcuffs.

[B]

Also, he named the type of dogs. That was so specific. I think the plane crashes the. Oh, God, I don't know. Because the guitar, like, he could know all that information. He has a ton of guitars. If you go to his house, he's got a wall of guitars. So he very well could have owned that guitar, but maybe it didn't come from a drug deal.

[A]

All right, do you have the answer?

[B]

Wait, are we gonna guess? What's the lie? What do you say?

[A]

I said plane crash.

[B]

You say plane crash, I'm gonna say guitar.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All right. We each picked a different one. Okay, here we go. He titled the last audio clip. I lied.

[D]

Okay. The false one, the one I'm lying about is. Wait for it, the 58 Gibson Korean Explorer. Nope, I never owned one of those. I've owned a Les Paul 56 Black Beauty, a 335Red Gibson, beautiful Gibson with a floating tail piece. I now have a 69 blues bird at a 57 country and western and a Blues King. A very nice little parlor Gibson guitar. But no 58 Explorer, unfortunately. So there we go. I lied.

[A]

Do you all realize now what it's like to hang out with Creed? How long has he been sitting on this plane crash story? I know. We've never heard this story. I mean, that's wild. So when he tells you a wild thing, you see why it might be true.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. I don't know. I just was like, there was a few details in that plain story that I thought were so specific.

[A]

That's why I thought it was half truth, half lie.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Wow, Creed, you got me, but you didn't get Angela.

[B]

Thanks, buddy.

[A]

Well, now we're in Ned's office. He's having a meeting with Esmeralda and Ken, and he tells them, guys, we're doing pretty good, but we're one article short. Esmerelda pretends to be concerned, and she has a talking head. She's like, ned is still here. He must have cockroach DNA. You know, it's like you smash it, but it doesn't die. And she does an impression of, like, a cockroach on its back with its legs wiggling. She does this thing with her hands. It's very funny.

[B]

It's very funny. And she also has really long fingernails. Like, she's very expressive with her hands.

[A]

Well, writer Patrick Kang said that when she did this bit where she pretends to be the cockroach, everybody went wild. Like, it was so funny. And he said that they discovered that she is particularly funny whenever she is talking about or impersonating animals or creatures. He said this was a big bonus. And you're gonna see this more throughout the season. Cause they started writing for it.

[B]

That is so funny. Well, Ken is going to suggest that they need their own version of Wordle to keep people's minds off the actual news. And Mare has an idea. Esmeralda is so startled when Mare speaks up.

[A]

Yeah, Mare is, like, sitting behind Esmerelda.

[B]

Yeah. And this is what I'm going to start calling Esmeralda Queen of shade. And shade alert number one. Esmeralda turns to Mare and says, ah, I thought you were a pile of shirts.

[A]

A pile of shirts.

[B]

What a great line.

[A]

Such good writing.

[B]

That's such a good dig. Mm.

[A]

Maire proposes that they resurrect this column from the 90s called Shame on youn, where they uncover a local business scam. She says she went shopping for a mattress recently and she thinks that there's a false advertising scam at local mattress stores. Ned gets so excited.

[B]

Well, the meeting's gonna end, and Esmeralda is stewing.

[A]

Yeah. She stays behind.

[B]

Yeah. She's so annoyed that Ned likes Mare's ideas, so she decides to be sabotage y. And she's like, oh, you know what Mare's leaving for? You know, a hotel business. Yeah. She got accepted to this concierge training program at the Radisson. Ned is, like, bummed out. He's like, but she's my best reporter. And he starts to panic. We have a Esmeralda shade alert number two.

[A]

We do.

[B]

She says mare, the woman whose parents named her after a horse. Yeah.

[A]

Did you see her outfit, by the way? I thought it was symbolic a little bit, you know? Cause she's the saboteur. She has on a snake belt. There's a great shot of it right around four minutes. So it's like this wide black belt, but then the buckle is this slithery gold snake.

[B]

Snake. Oh, snake belt. I like it.

[A]

I looked it up. There's a gazillion of them. You can have one too, if you want.

[B]

You can have a snake belt if you want.

[A]

There's so many versions of it where the buckle is a snake. I don't know. I got a little into it.

[B]

Are you gonna get a snake belt?

[A]

I don't know. I mean, I might.

[B]

What do you wear your snake belt to?

[A]

Wherever I want.

[B]

Right. It's your snake belt.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, you know.

[B]

Well, Esmeralda's not done being sabotagy. She also says that mare is asexual.

[A]

Yeah. She's gonna call out Ned for what she perceives to be his crush on mare.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All of this, like, his admiration of her, his maybe crush on her is all fueling just her need to take him down.

[B]

Well, she doesn't want Mare to be the superstar employee. She's the superstar employee.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah. She's very jealous.

[A]

Well, now Ned is going to approach mayor in the copy room, and she says to him, what are the odds of this paper succeeding?

[B]

Well, she's hedging her bets. Right. Do I try to stick with it or do I leave and go work at this hotel?

[A]

He says he thinks their chance of succeeding is 95%.

[B]

Yeah. And then mayor has a talking head where she's like, that's delusional. Right. And a little nerve wracking because he holds my career in his hands. But then she wavers. She's like, but he did sell a crazy Amount of toilet paper.

[A]

Did you notice something about this talking head?

[B]

Clearly you did. What is it?

[A]

It's a two angle talking head. Oh. The camera punches in. It goes from kind of a medium shot to a close up midway through the talking head. And I was like, ooh, it's a new way.

[B]

Fancy.

[A]

I mentioned earlier that this episode was directed by Yanna Gorskaya, who is new to the office directing universe. And in addition to this talking head having this sort of, like, punch in, I noticed so many spy shots in this episode. Like, she really used the spy shot. I feel like she got the documentary style and then she built on it. I just thought visually this episode was very interesting. And it's gonna get even more interesting as we use these spy shots at the mattress store. Exactly.

[B]

Yeah. No, I thought it was really cool. Well, Ned is so worried that Mare is gonna leave the company that he's decided he's gonna stick with her for the day and do this mattress story with her. And Mare says, great, we'll be Woodward and Woodward's boss. And immediately Ned says, ben Bradlee. And Mare's like, oh, of course. You knew that. But then Ned is so giddy, he takes off running. And Mare says, oh, you run so athletically, lady. Did this remind you of anything?

[A]

No.

[B]

When he took off running like that, all I could think about was that scene in Friends when Rachel and Phoebe decide to go for a run. But Rachel has clearly never seen Phoebe run. And the way Lisa Kudrow runs as Phoebe is so hilarious.

[A]

I do not remember this.

[B]

Oh, my God. It's such a great scene. I don't know which episode it's from, but when Ned took off running, all I could think of is, I need to see him run more. I thought it was really funny physical comedy.

[A]

Well, listen, lady, I think we should take a break real quick.

[B]

Yes. And when we come back, Nicole and Detrick are gonna play Two Truths and a Lie. And I'm gonna need to have a conversation with you about gas station sushi. Sometimes I subscribe to a whole bunch of stuff.

[A]

And then you forget you subscribe to it.

[B]

Yeah. And then you have this monthly subscription.

[A]

And those add up, and you're like, what was that? What is that? Well, Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings.

[B]

Here's the thing that's really cool. Rocket Money tracks your subscriptions, and then you have the ability to cancel within the app with just a few taps, saving time and avoiding charges like they're all in one spot. You know what I mean?

[A]

I do. But you can also use the app to set budgets and goals and get personal insights. And you can get real time alerts for large transactions or upcoming bills. It's kind of like a one stop shopping. Like it puts all your financial stuff in one place.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[B]

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[A]

You know, just cause it's a new year, that does not mean you have to be a new you. But maybe you want to be a less burdened you, a clearer you, not a totally new you. But maybe like you just want to hone in. You want to refine.

[B]

Yeah, I like that. Refine.

[A]

Well, therapy can help more easily identify what is weighing you down, what might be holding you back. You can better understand your relationships, your motivations, your emotions.

[B]

I'm trying to let go of just sort of stressing about the small things because those really just add up and they're gonna be just fine.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Okay, we are back. And now we're in the bullpen. And Detrick goes and sits opposite Nicole because they have clearly been paired up. They're supposed to play two truths and a lie.

[B]

Mm. He's gonna offer her some sushi. And she says, where'd you get that sushi? There's no sushi around here. And he says, oh, I hate to disagree with you right off the bat, but they have it at the gas station. And Nicole goes, ew. Jenna.

[A]

What?

[B]

Would you eat gas station sushi? No.

[A]

Would you?

[B]

No. But there is a Reddit thread about this very topic.

[A]

Gas station sushi.

[B]

Yes. Whether you should eat it or not. And really, there's a few different views here. I want to read three to you.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

One person said, taste and quality is just not the same as what you'd get from a good sushi place or making your own with quality ingredients. But gas station sushi is not the worst prepackaged. Someone else said, what country? That's a deciding factor.

[A]

Oh, that is the deciding factor.

[B]

They go on to say, 7 11. Sushi in Japan is not bad. Oh, and then lastly, someone says, again, coming here to say, it depends on where you get it from. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's like a whole tuna fish farted and in your face.

[A]

I'm so sorry. If you ever purchased gas station sushi that tasted like a tuna fish farted in your face, why would you ever buy it again?

[B]

I don't think.

[A]

Like, why do they keep going back?

[B]

I don't think this person went back. Right.

[A]

I don't know. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

[B]

Like, you're right. Clearly.

[A]

Clearly, that confuses me.

[B]

That's right. You're right. They've tried it a few times. Anyway, what I learned from this Reddit thread is it really depends what country and where you are at. What gas station?

[A]

Let me tell you what gas stations are for.

[B]

Gas.

[A]

Gas. A bag of chips, maybe a hot dog, maybe a hot coffee. They are not for sushi. Fruit. Fruit.

[B]

I've had a good banana from a gas station. I've had quality banana. Yes. Quality banana. Okay, listen, I'm with you. I'm not gonna do uncooked raw fish from a gas station, but I'll get a banana there.

[A]

I think gas stations are for processed food. That's the food you want to buy at a gas station.

[B]

And maybe a banana.

[A]

A long shelf life. All right, and then that's it.

[B]

We're almost on the same page. Minus the banana. We're on the same page.

[A]

Or soda Cake.

[B]

You know, the other thing I clocked in this scene that I want to talk about is all of the birds. There's so many birds at Nicole's desk. Yeah, there's like a bird on the wall. There's little bird figurines. There's so many tchotchkes. If Angela Martin was the cat lady, Nicole is the bird lady.

[A]

Well, we're about to find out where Ned ran off to. It's to Oscar's desk to ask him to whip up another sudoku just in case he and Mare don't make their deadline for the mattress story. He can throw that in.

[B]

Oscar does say to Ned that this type of pressure is giving him PTSD from an old boss. Any guesses who that is?

[A]

Did you see what's right behind Oscar over his shoulder?

[B]

Yes, it's the scarecrow. The homemade scarecrow doll that Michael Scott gave him. But I also caught something else. It is a framed picture of Oscar's dog, Gus.

[A]

Oh, his real dog.

[B]

Yes. So Gus was his dog while we filmed the office. Gus has since passed, but that picture of Gus in that frame was the same one that was on his desk in the office. And I actually reached out to Oscar and I was like, oscar, am I losing it? But I'm pretty sure that's Gus in the frame. The same one you had when we filmed, you know, at the Dunder Mifflin set. And he said, it is. Mm, isn't that nice? So there are two things there from Oscar's original desk that have made it into the paper.

[A]

I love that. Well, now we are in the parking lot of the mattress store, and Mare and Ned are discussing what are their alter egos like, what kind of couple are we gonna be as we shop for this mattress? Undercover. I mean, this is totally mom detectives lady. When I watched, it was cracking me up because it made me think of me and you undercover, trying to figure out what was the windowless building in my neighborhood. Yeah, I have an audio clip of their discussion in the car because I loved it so much.

[E]

Okay, so what kind of couple should we be?

[C]

Just a regular couple. Not regular hetero. Cis.

[B]

What are you asking?

[E]

No, I just mean, are we bougie? You know, are we cheap? Are we too online? Are we not online at all? In a way that's kind of weird? You know, do we have kids?

[B]

Do you want kids?

[A]

And I don't?

[E]

And it's kind of tearing us apart.

[C]

This is making you at all uncomfortable. We don't have to be a couple at all, alright? We can just be brother and sister.

[E]

We're buying a mattress together.

[C]

Our mom gets debilitating bladder infections. She's incontinence.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[E]

We're just a couple.

[B]

Okay.

[E]

Keep the model thing in your back pocket. If everything goes wrong.

[A]

I am so sorry to hear about your mother.

[B]

Thanks.

[C]

Thank you.

[E]

It's his mother. We're actually married.

[C]

I'm also her boss.

[A]

I love how it cuts to them in the mattress store. And he has already talked about this mother.

[B]

She's like, keep it in your back pocket. And it's clearly what he led with. Well, I have a fun thing from Clarissa in Austin, Texas. Ladies, this isn't a question, more of a comment. When I was watching the scene with Mare and Ned before they go into the mattress store, it made me think of Suit Warehouse, where Dwight and Jim say they used to do calls as brothers. And Dwight says they were Jim and Dwight Schreupert.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Isn't that cute?

[A]

That's super cute.

[B]

I know. I love those scenes too.

[A]

Well, lady, I just remember your big idea when we were gonna be mom detectives to figure out what was going on in the windowless building. Do you remember it? Cause it was very funny. No, I don't. You said that the way we get into the building is that we should deliver them, like, a fruit basket or some flowers. And you were like. I was like, what? We're gonna take a fruit basket in? I'm like, no, we're just gonna walk in. Just walk in. Let's just go. And you're like, no, we need a real.

[B]

We need a thing that we need a cover. And then you walked in. We walked in together, and you were like, hey. And then you went blank. There was, like, this weird moment, and this guy is just looking at us. And then finally, you're like, we're just wondering, what is this place? You just asked him. I know. I know.

[A]

I was like, let's not beat around the bush.

[B]

There were some clues as we walked up the ramp to get inside. There were some elderly people having some sunshine.

[A]

Yeah. But still. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It was very clear. People there were of a certain age. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Why are you dancing around it?

[B]

I don't know. The thing I found most interesting, though. What is that he said, we're a senior center. And I was like, yeah. Ding, ding, ding. And he goes, but we also rent it out for weddings.

[A]

No, he did not. Yes. Is that true?

[B]

In the back room, that room, where they were, like, playing cards and stuff. You can also rent that out.

[A]

I missed that.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

How did I miss that?

[B]

I don't know. You were jotting something down on your notepad that you had. But he said you can also. You know, sometimes we do, like, events, you know, like wedding receptions, things like that.

[A]

That's fascinating to me. I feel like I need to go back also. By the way, it wasn't a live in facility, so that makes sense. During the day, it was just a daytime facility for elderly people to go.

[B]

To a senior center, like where they can go play cards or bridge or they'll have someone come and, like, go.

[A]

But there's nurses in physical therapy there too.

[B]

Yes, right. But that room where they play cards and stuff at night, you could also have your, you know, what a business model wedding reception.

[A]

All right, well, now they're inside of the mattress store, and they're talking to Cindy, the mattress store employee, and they ask about a particular mattress, and she says, oh, this one's great. It's $1,900. And Ned is like, well, you know what? You guys have, like, a price match guarantee, right? I was down at this other mattress store and I saw this mattress for 14.50. Would you honor that price? And she's like, oh, no, you didn't see this mattress because this is exclusive to our store. And he's like, really? It looks like the same mattress. Could you go check?

[B]

This is part of the scam.

[A]

Guess what? This whole storyline is based on a true story from Greg Daniels life. Greg Daniels was trying to find a mattress that he loved, and he was trying to buy it again because he loved it, but he needed a new one so he couldn't find it. This is when he uncovered the truth. The truth, which is that mattress stores do this. They have exclusive names for the exact same mattresses so that you can't compare prices. I looked it up, lady. There are a gazillion gazillion Reddit threads and websites dedicated to decoding all of the names for all these mattresses that are actually the same mattress.

[B]

Wow. Mm.

[A]

Yeah. And I feel like it made its way into this episode as Greg's little way of exposing this to the world.

[B]

I got you. Yeah, I got you.

[A]

This is his expose.

[B]

Yeah. Well, I did ask Mary, who plays Cindy, if they filmed in a real mattress store or if that was a set they built. And here's what she said. She said, yep, it was a real mattress store. So at lunch, I just went ahead and laid down.

[A]

Wow, that's amazing.

[B]

She also said that everyone she met that day was so Lovely. There was no ego, no tension, just really funny prosecutors on and off screen. She also said, a crew can really make the set feel cozy. And for a guest star who's in for one day, it's so lovely to be greeted by everyone so warmly. I felt like family, even though it was just for the day. And then she had one other thing I want to share about shooting these big scenes. There are big scenes in this huge room. Right. She said, I had never shot a documentary style TV show, so it actually didn't dawn on me when we were filming for real. She didn't know where the cameras were. She didn't know they were filming until they wrapped her first scene. She said, I'm so used to cameras being really invasive. You know, they're right there where you can see them with cords and lights all around. And she said, I didn't know where the cameras were until one of the grips started a la dear Evan Hansen style, waving through the window.

[A]

Way over here.

[B]

We're over here.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Yeah. Cause she was like, are we filming? Like, where are the cameras? That's how far away the cameras were. And that's what you were talking about?

[A]

Yeah, the super spy shots.

[B]

Yeah, that the director was creating this very cool vibe on this set that you didn't even see the cameras. Mm.

[A]

Well, now we're gonna go into this meeting. Marv is running this meeting. It's with Esmeralda, Ken, and Oscar. And there's supposed to be a fourth person there. Ned. He's missing.

[B]

He's missing. I called these scenes big boardroom budget meeting.

[A]

Oh, Ken calls it bi weekly budget meeting, but I like your name too.

[B]

Big boardroom budget. Well, we're just not in this big boardroom very often. And it looks prestigious. It looks like a place where important things happen.

[A]

Yeah. This is on another floor. This is on the executive level. This is Marv's world.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Well, Esmeralda's just gonna continue to throw Ned under the bus.

[B]

Yeah, she's super sabotaging this scene. She's making him seem incompetent. Like she says, I told him about the meeting. But what she did was she put a little sticky note that says M O B, M I, A B on his computer.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Which I guess means Marv's office budget meeting in a bit. And you know, of course, he didn't know what that was.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But she's gonna tell Marv. Oh, I told him about the meeting. Yeah. I left him a note. She doesn't tell him. She left A note saying, mob me ab.

[A]

I love that you took on pronouncing it. Now we're back at Nicole and Detrick's desks, and they're doing some would you rather questions to try to learn about one another.

[B]

Yeah, they say, would you rather be able to speak to animals or speak any human language ever that you ever wanted to speak?

[A]

I want us to answer this question.

[B]

I have it, too. I said, jenna, what do you pick?

[A]

This is really hard for me.

[B]

I don't know, because they're both really good. This is a very good. Would you rather.

[A]

Is this the best. Would you rather question? Like, is it the best in the.

[B]

History of Would you rathers?

[A]

Maybe.

[B]

Maybe.

[A]

Because I feel like every time I hear a Would you rather question? And also because it's a Would you rather that isn't, like, gross or harmful?

[B]

Yeah. This is, like, two skill sets. That could be cool.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I know my answer immediately.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

I would rather be able to speak any human language ever. Here's the thing. I have a lot of bird feeders.

[A]

Oh, you don't want all that chatter.

[B]

I don't know if I need, like, move over, move over. It's my turn. It's my turn. I don't know if I need to know all that.

[A]

You're right. The world would be very loud if you could hear all animals and all humans.

[B]

Yeah. I think about my two crazy Chihuahua mix rescues. Biscuit. Every day we have this joke in our family where I say, every day, she has this, like, sort of passion. She wakes up with, like. I feel like if Biscuit could, like, get us to all gather around, she'd say something like this, listen, that's gonna come to the door today. He's gonna say he has a package. That's bull. We're gonna go at him. We're gonna go at him with everything we got.

[A]

Who's with me?

[B]

That's Biscuit synergy. Every morning, like, the minute I open the door, she's like, hey, you, mother. Did you come on this yard?

[A]

You know, now that you've broken it down, I take back what I said about this being the best. Would you rather. Because I was gonna pick animals, but you totally, 100% dissuaded me from that choice. I'm gonna go with the other one. In any human language, I wish you.

[B]

Could pick and choose the animal, you know, or when to turn it on. Maybe if I was whale watching and, like, some amazing humpback whale came up to the surface, I might say, dude, how you Doing, man. You know, maybe I want to hear what that humpback whale says. I don't need to hear what my crazy Chihuahua mix says every day, all day.

[A]

Let me bring it down. This is gonna get a little somber. Oh, what if. Okay, you or a veterinarian or something could speak to animals when they're in distress, or before their passing, you could tell them everything you loved about. You could share that back and forth, that comfort, you know, what about that? What about those moments in pet ownership? What a gift that would be?

[B]

Well, I mean. Yeah. I mean, it'd be nice to comfort them, wouldn't it?

[A]

Yes, but the trade off is you're also gonna have to listen to them all the time. Right?

[B]

So this is a different. Would you rather. This is like, would you rather be able to know what animals are saying and be able to communicate with them all the time, or would you rather pick and choose when you.

[A]

I'm just saying there's a benefit to being able to speak to animals, but there's probably more benefit in being able to speak any human language ever.

[B]

That's it. That's where we land.

[A]

That's where we've landed. Well, listen, Nicole's gonna say, talk to animals, and so is Detric. And then this leads her to talking about her pet bird, Cardi B. And then that leads to her revealing that she got said pet bird from a guy she was dating, and he was a married guy. And then she gets really ashamed that she shared so much.

[B]

Yeah, I think, you know, Detrick jokes, was the bird the last straw? And she says, no, it was his wife. And that's awkward, right? Yeah. Yeah. And she walks away, and he's like, what just happened? He didn't know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Cardi B is a great name for a bird.

[A]

It is a great name for a bird.

[B]

I love. Anytime people do that.

[A]

Anytime people do what?

[B]

Like, kind of have a pun on a name like that. Like, Isabel's fifth grade class had a plant, and they named it Keanu Leaves. Okay, just thought that was so cute. Anyway, okay, up next, I want to talk about a scene. Now, this scene was in the peacock version. It's not in the NBC broadcast version. But basically, we're back in the big boardroom budget meeting.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

And we get to meet Anne. It seems as if she's maybe Marv's longtime secretary. And Marv is getting really worked up. The longer Ned isn't there, he's starting to get riled up. And I loved this scene between Marv and Ann. I'm really rooting for Marv and Ann. If any of the writers are listening, can we please have more Marv and Ann? And I want you guys to hear this.

[C]

Where the heck is this guy? I'm starting to get worked up.

[B]

Don't get worked up, Marv.

[D]

Anne's right.

[C]

I'm not gonna get worked up. Let's get him on the phone.

[B]

Ann.

[A]

Yes, Marv? I think we should start.

[B]

Nad is so gifted at delegating to me.

[A]

Let's start.

[C]

False alarm, Ann.

[B]

Oh, well, it was time for me.

[A]

To stretch my legs anyway, so.

[C]

You okay?

[B]

Yeah, I'm good. She comes bustling down this long hallway, and then when he's like, false alarm, Ann. I just love that she was like, well, it's time to stretch my legs anyway. It's just their whole dynamic is wonderful and just so great. And I love how he's like, are you okay? Like, how's it going? I think Marv just wants to hang out with Ann.

[A]

They're like an old married couple. A little bit.

[B]

100%. Well, shout out to Nancy Linhan, who plays Ann. Guess what? She was also in two episodes of How I Met yout Mother.

[A]

Crossover connection. Well, now we're gonna go back to the mattress store, and Cindy is still in the back. She's clearly gone back in the back to, quote, talk to her manager and is hoping that Mare and Ned will just leave. So while they're waiting for Cindy, Ned starts snooping around her desk, and he discovers the name of the mattress supplier on the desk. And they're like, should we call it? Let's call it. And he does this brilliant thing. He calls, and clearly the person on the other line is like, Cindy. And he says, no, no, this is Ned. I'm calling from Cindy's desk.

[B]

She's in the back.

[A]

Yeah, but I was wondering if you could cross reference the various mattress names for the model number that I have. And they do it. Basically, they exposed the scam.

[B]

Jackpot. They're so excited. The two of them do this dance for Joy.

[A]

It's so cute.

[B]

It's so cute. I did feel like Ned's dance was a little Ed Grimley.

[A]

Very Ed Grimley.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

But this was really exciting to me. I was rooting for them to have a good article. You know, this is our third episode in the series now, and this is kind of the first win for the paper.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Don't you feel like that?

[B]

Yeah, for sure. I was happy for them too.

[A]

And of course, when Cindy does eventually come back, they confront her they say, we're from the Truth Teller doing a report on consumer protection. And she's like, I knew your mother wasn't sick.

[B]

And then basically, she's like, I'm not gonna say anything. You have no proof. And then they point to the cameras.

[A]

Yes, they say, actually, we do have proof. Here is one camera. Here's another camera. And they call out the cameraperson's name. Mandy.

[C]

Mm.

[A]

Mandy is their real B camera operator. Mandy Whitaker.

[B]

I thought so. I thought they were just looking right at their friend behind the camera.

[A]

Mandy has also done camera operating on St. Denis Medical. And it's always sunny in Philadelphia.

[B]

Well, Cindy sees the cameras, and she's like, whatever, fine. I'll give it up. And I thought, Mary did such a great job in this moment as Cindy, and I want you guys to hear it.

[D]

All right.

[B]

Oh, no. I actually hate this job. Oh, I hate this stupid polo. They make you pay for yourself. I was too scared to be a.

[A]

Geologist, and now it's too late.

[B]

So get your notepads out. Let's burn it all down.

[E]

Let's get some water, and then we can get into it.

[B]

Yeah, I'll help.

[E]

Why don't we get some water?

[A]

I'm gonna write it too.

[E]

We're all good.

[A]

I'll write it.

[E]

Well.

[B]

Let'S burn it all down, lady.

[A]

Cindy would make a great guest on Office Ladies. Burn it to the ground.

[B]

That's what I thought.

[A]

She's ready to talk. I mean, she's just so good. I thought she was great.

[B]

Yeah, she played it perfectly. And we were trading emails about it, and she said, ang, I was reminded of a conversation we had at an Emmy party, and I was like, which one? And she said, so it was the night before party in 2024. She said, I was headed to film the paper that week, and you gave me some great advice. You said, quote, don't be the funny guy, and if you think you can make it even smaller, do. Oh.

[A]

You kind of gave her the direction that Ken Kwapus gave you.

[B]

Exactly. And she said, so I just told the story, and I'm so glad I did. She said, I thought it made me funnier. And she said, it's a really big set, and in my nervous actor brain, I could have absolutely overshot and overplayed. So I was really grateful for that insight from one who would know. Anyway, I didn't even remember saying that to her, but I'm so glad that it helped her. But she crushed it.

[A]

She crushed it. She was great. Well, listen, let's Go back to this board meeting. They've been waiting for Ned. They decide, forget it, we're just gonna go on without him. What's on the docket today? Well, what's on the docket is that they need money. They're over budget. And Esmeralda says, listen, getting these original stories is expensive. I think we need to go back to the way it was before Ned.

[B]

Yeah. Basically, she's like, ned's idea to do original stories was a bad idea. She's again trying to throw them under the bus. She says they should pay for the wire stories.

[A]

But then Oscar brings up a line item that he found in the budget that's a little curious. It's a storage unit that they've been renting for nine years. That's actually an apartment.

[B]

Yeah. So in the peacock version, you guys, it's extended. And you sort of see Oscar really struggling because he knows Esmerelda and Ken are trying to sabotage Ned.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you can also tell that Oscar maybe believes in Ned and thinks he should stick around and not get fired.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So he decides to play this card to save the day, to save Ned.

[A]

We find out that this storage unit, quote, unquote, that's actually an apartment, is Ken's apartment. He has a talking head where he says, yeah, enervate. Rented him a small furnished apartment for a few weeks when he first moved over from the uk and somehow it got filed as a warehouse. Ah. Could you imagine?

[B]

Mm. So he's been sneaky, sneak living rent free and billing it back to the company as a storage facility.

[A]

So back in the meeting, Ken's like, you know what? Let's get rid of this storage unit. No need to investigate what happened. That's a waste of money. But look at that. We'll have the money back in the budget and journalism wins.

[B]

And then we have just some wrap up moments, you know. So basically, Esmerelda knows that she's been beat once again. And then we have this little moment with Nicole and Detrick. You know, he approaches her desk and he says, I figured out the lie. It's that you dated a married guy. And she kind of goes, yeah, nailed it. And she just smiles to herself as he walks away, because we realize that he's just there to protect her and help her save face, and she doesn't need to be embarrassed around him.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, it was a very sweet gesture.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think he sort of could see that she was. She was kind of shutting down. And so he went over and, like, gave her an out.

[B]

Yeah. Exactly. And then we have this mare talking head where she's made the decision to stay. You know, she's not gonna take the job at the hotel. She says, I'm young, and the hospitality world will always be there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then she says bye to Ned. She says, all right, I'll see you tomorrow. And he's like, you will? He's, like, so happy.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And they do this very awkward fist bump. And he's like, all right, buddy. And she's like, yeah, right, dude.

[A]

And that's where we get the name of this episode. Buddy and the dude.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's the end of this paper episode. It's very sweet, Marin. Ned finished their first article, and it's a big win. I was very excited for them.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we're starting to see a little budding romance maybe, or friendship at least between Detrick and Nicole.

[B]

And we're starting to see that Oscar might be invested in this idea of a successful paper.

[A]

And there you have it.

[B]

There you have it. Big thank yous to Greg Daniels, Creed.

[A]

Bratton, Chelsea Fry, and Patrick Kang. Thank you guys so much for talking to us about this episode. We're really enjoying this. I can't wait for next week.

[B]

Yes. And thank you to everyone that's gone to the website and to our little folders and written comments or questions. Keep them coming.

[A]

We'll see you next week. Week.

[B]

See you then.

[A]

Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.

[B]

Office Ladies is a presentation of Odyssey and is produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey.

[A]

Our executive producer is Cassie Jerkins. Our audio engineer is Sam Kieffer, and our associate producer is Ainslie Bubaco.

[B]

Odyssey's executive producer is Leah Reese Dennis.

[A]

Office Ladies was mixed and mastered by Bill Schultz.

[B]

Our theme song is Rubber tree by Creed Bratton.